Wheat Ridge High School alum and Texas Longhorns football player Freddie Steinmark reacts to a play while watching his beloved team play in the 1970 Cotton Bowl. Steinmark made it to the sidelines of the game on crutches not long after having his leg amputated from a cancerous tumor.
Freddie Steinmark graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 1967, which may seem like ancient history to many current-day Farmers, the school mascot for Wheat Ridge High School. There are some, though, who linger at the display case that immortalizes his story.
For those unfamiliar with Freddie, the new movie “My All American” will help introduce him to a new generation. It’s something both Wheat Ridge High School Principal Griff Wirth and Athletic Director Nick DeSimone are looking forward to.
“Parents probably realize who he is, but I don’t know how many of them get a chance to talk about Freddie Steinmark to their kids,” said DeSimone. “We’re pretty excited to share the story of a Farmer that came through here and did change the world, one person.”
Wirth echoed those sentiments saying, “It’s not about football and it’s not about cancer. It’s about all those things, but it’s [more] about the character that we live with. It’s about spreading that to the next generation.”
For those who want to learn even more about Freddie’s story, one of his childhood friends, author Bower Yousse, is out with a highly personal account. His new book, “Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football,”chronicles the story of Steinmark’s rise from undersized Wheat Ridge High football star to Texas Longhorns defensive back who played hard, died young, and remains an inspirational figure to this day.
“The guys who made the movie, when they started interviewing people that played football with Freddie at [the University of] Texas, and here, they said, ‘you know, he really was different.’ Yes, he was. He was unlike anyone I’ve ever known,” said Yousse.
When Freddie was diagnosed with cancer, and had his left leg removed at the hip, Yousse says there was no anger on Freddie’s part, and no bitterness.
“Faith was the number one priority in Freddie’s life,” according to Yousse. “He just accepted the fact that this was God’s plan for him.”
Initially, Freddie hoped he might be able to continue his football career as a one-legged punter. It was actually the first thing he asked about in the recovery room. That was not to be, however.
Instead, in his remaining year and a half of life he became the central figure in a new national approach to cancer research and treatment. Yousse says nationally publicized coverage of his courageous battle made it ok for a national conversation about cancer for the first time.
“When this happened to him, cancer at that time was maybe like AIDS was at one time,” said Yousse.” If you had it, you didn’t want anybody to know it. People didn’t understand it. You just sort of withdrew.
The change Freddie affected is something that makes his brother Sammy, and his nephew, Freddie Joe, beam with pride.
“The day Freddie died, President Nixon [signed] the first appropriation bill for cancer research in 1971, the 1028 bill, with Freddie’s number being 28. It was a billion dollar appropriation, which back then was huge,” said Sammy.
Freddie’s impact on cancer research and treatment provides everyone a connection to him. He helped raise consciousness about cancer across the nation, and his story helped energize a concerted effort to find a cure.
“When Freddie died, President Nixon sent his attaché, Bud Wilkinson’s son to our house, and he said, ‘President Nixon wanted me to ask if there’s anything that he could do for you Gloria.’ My mother said, ‘well, we need a war on cancer.’ My mother coined that saying and Wilkinson took it back to the White House, and they did it,” said Sammy.
His family says that is truly Freddie’s legacy, much more so than his impact on the game of football.
“I’ve just been honored my whole life to be in the same breath as him,” said Freddie’s nephew, Freddie Joe. “He lived a great life, and there’s no way that anyone can live up to that life. The legacy that I carry on is one of living your life to the fullest, being an inspiration to other people, and treating people the best you can.”
Watch the JPS-TV version of this story here.